Tilt device for venetian blinds



Oct. 4, 1955 G. 'M. GRAHAM TILT DEVICE FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Fil ed Nov. 21, 1952 FIG 14 TWINE Y.

INVENTOR.

GEORGE M. GRAHAM,

VVIIIIII/I/I "V ad/I l H65. BY

.cll.

United States Patent TILT DEVICE FOR VENETIAN BLINDS George M. Graham, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Application November 21, 1952, Serial No. 321,864

2 Claims. (Cl. 160-115) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and is an improvement over the structure disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 316,881, filed October 25, 1952.

The blind of the present invention comprises a plurality of horizontally disposed and parallel slats, spaced and supported in the usual and well known manner and being capable of elevation in a conventional manner.

The blind further includes a conventional and well known tilting mechanism and, coupled with such tilting mechanism, is a separate and independently controllable mechanism whereby a group of the slats may be independently tilted without disturbing the position of the other slats.

An object of the invention also resides in the extreme simplicity of an auxiliary tilting mechanism that permits of its being incorporated in the standard and well known Venetian blind devices at relatively little cost, is wholly inconspicuous, with the exception of an operating cord and is highly effective and desirable as a means for controlling the tilting of a group of the slats.

Novel features of construction and operation will be readily apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein has been illustrated a preferred example of the invention and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation view of a Venetian blind device embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a header rail included in the blind,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end view of the blind in fully open position,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but with an independently controlled group of slats in the tilted position, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view ilustrating the manner of training and attaching the tilt cords for the lower group of slats in the blind.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a window opening that is to be covered by the Venetian blind, indicated as a whole by the numeral 6.

Rigidly positioned in the window opening at ite upper end, is a header rail 7, channeled throughout its upper face in the customary manner, as at 8. Supported adjacent one end of the header 7, is a conventional tilt mechanism 9, while adjacent the opposite end of the header rail 7, a combined cord lock and bracket of conventional construction is fixed. The tilt device and the brackets 9 and 10, jointly support the usual and well known tilt rail 11. The rail 11 carries the usual Venetian blind ladder tapes 12, properly spaced apart in a recognized manner. The tapes 12 support a plurality of conventional Venetian blind slats 13, of wood or metal, all arranged in horizontal position to span the window opening and with the tapes supporting at their terminal ends, the usual bottom rail 14 employed in such blind devices. The entire group of slats may be simultaneously tilted by a cord 15, functioning to control the tilt device 9. The entire group of slats may be simultaneously elevated by elevating cords 16, extending upwardly from the bottom rail 14 and passing through slots 17 formed in the several slats, through suitable openings formed in the header 7, over pulleys 18 and then downwardly through the cord locking device 10. This is the customary and well known method of elevating the blind.

The present invention has for its prime purpose, the ability for an operator to simultaneously and independently tilt the lower group of blind slats 13, representing in number substantially half the slats employed in the blind. This number may obviously be varied at will and will not affect the operation of the invention. To accomplish the tilting of the lower group of slats without affecting the upper group, cords 19, similar to the cords 16, are trained downward through the same openings in the header 7, through the openings of the tilt rail 11 and downwardly between the rear edges of the slats and the rear flight of the ladder tapes 12, shown more clearly in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The cords 19 terminate substantially midway of the height of the blind and preferably just below the uppermost slat 13' of the group that 18 to be separately controlled, at which point the terminal ends of the cords 19 are sewn or stapled to the inner faces of the respective tapes 12, as clearly shown at 19'. The cords 19 have no direct connection with either the tilt rail 11 or bottom rail 14. The cords 19 after passing through the openings of the header 7, are trained over pulleys 20, with the cords jointly passing through a second cord lock 21, positioned at the opposite end of the header from the lock 10. The cords may be joined together as at 22 to terminate in a single cord 23.

The use of the device is as follows:

Assuming that the blind 6 is fully lowered to the position shown in Figure 1 for covering the window opening, all parts are normally as shown with the several slats in the fully open position. When it is desired to tilt the entire group of slats, the cord 15 is operated to rotate the tilt mechanism 9, this being the recognized method employed in conventional Venetian blinds. Should the entire group of slats require elevating, the cords 16 are manipulated in the usual manner and, when the blind is in the desired degree of elevation, the cord lock 10 functions to restrain the movement of the blind against accidental shifting. At times, it is found most desirable to be able to tilt the lower group of slats for purposes of privacy, yet maintain the upper group fully open to admit light and air. When the privacy is desired without sacrificing light and air, the operator pulls upon the cords 19 through the medium of the single cord 23, which action creates a lift upon one side of each of the ladder tapes 12, causing that portion of the tapes below the slat 13' to loop outwardly, without disturbing the companion tape and this action will, through the medium of the cross tapes, cause all the slats from the slat 13' to the bottom rail 14 to be angularly disposed to the desired tilting position. The back tape is desirable as the tape to which the cords 19 shall be attached, since the looping of the tapes under the lifting influence of the cords 19 will be upon the window side and present no undesirable appearance from the room side. The degree of tilting of the lower group of slats may obviously be controlled as successfully as the conventional tilting mechanism 9 and, when the degree of tilting of the lower group has been reached, the cords 19 are easily locked in such position by the cord lock 21. As before stated, the cords 19 pass downwardly between the inner surface of the back tapes and the rear edges of the slats and have no connection with either the slats or the tapes, except at the point 19'. The entire blind may be readily elevated in the usual manner without disturbing the cords 19 and, since the cord-s 19 pass downwardly between the cross tapes, they cannot project outwardly when the blind is elevated. Thus, from all general appearances, the employment of thetilting"arrangement for the lower group of slat-s "will in no way 'detract from the appearance of the conventional blind and *willoifer no interference with'the operation-of the blind -in*the conventional manner. To return theloWer group 'of tilted slats to their "former open position, the operator merely =releases the cords 1"9 'fro'm-the locking device '21, at which time the several slats will, of their own *weight, fall to the positioncorresponding to the upper group of-slats.

It will'be apparent from the *foregoing,=thata very simple and highly efiectivemeans hasbeen providedto-independently control the tilting of the lower group er slats of acon-ventional Venetian 'bl'i'nd. The means here disclosed in no way interferes with the normal operationof the blind and 'such means may be included in the stand- 'ar'd"Venetian-bI-indat a minimum of cost.

Changes are contemplated as readily all within the spirit of the invention 'or the 'scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, what "I "claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent-isz '1. -A Venetian blind or covering and uncovering a window opening and comprising a header, a parallel *tilt rail and a parallel bottom rail, the tilt rail and the bottom r-ail being connected in spaced relation by spaced apart and vertically arranged *Venetian blind ladder tapes, the header and the rails being horizontally arranged to substantially span the window opening, the tapes provided with a plurality of identically spaced transversely arranged cross webs for the support of a plurality of identical Venetian blind slat-s,=a 'tilting'mechanism for the tilting support ofthe tilt-rail-that is arranged adjacent one end'of the'header, a bracket andcord lock for the tilting support of-th'e tiltrail thatis arranged adjacent the opposite end of the header, a hand-cord for controlling the tilt mechanism whereby the tilt rail 'm'ay be tilted to thereby shift -and -tilt the several slats simultaneously, hand cords for elevatingtheblind that extend 'over pulleys rot-atably supported in'the header to be extended downwardly through the blind and centrally of the tapes to be-connected with the bottom rail, theelevating hand cords passing through the said cord lock to retain the blind in any degree of elevation, the blind constituting an upper and a lower group of slats with each group constituting substantially one-half of the slats, the lower group of slats being independently tiltable, hand tilt cords for the lower group of slats that traverse the header in aplane below the top of the header and project below "said header to pass downwardly in substantially parallelism with the "elevating cords,the hand tilt cords passing downwardly in contacting relation to the inner side of one flight of each tape between the tape and the adjacent-marginal edges of the slats and substantially centrally of the tape width, the lower terminal ends of the hand tilt cords being permanently stitched to the said tapes at a point below the uppermost slat of the lower group, the hand tilt cords being supported in their traverse'o'f the "header'byfreely rotatable pulleys disposed in a planebelow the top of'theh'eader, the said hand -tilt cords "projecting outwardly of the header and passing through a cord locking device, the hand tilt cords when operated serving'to simultaneously liftthe attached flight of each -tape to tilt the several's'lats ofthe'lower group upwardly, the last named-cord lockmaintaining the slats in tiltedposition.

'2. The device according "to claim 1, wherein "the header is grooved upon its upper side throughout its length, "the several "pulleys for the elevating cords and the tilt cords for thelower group of slatsbeing recessed inthe groove'of the-header to rotate in a plane-below the top surface of the header, the header provided with common 'openin'gs "for the passage of the elevating cords and the tilt-cords for the lower group' of slats.

References Cited I inthe file of this 1 patent UNITED STATES "PATENTS 2,116,356 Laborda 'et al. May '3, 1938 2,427,266 Ewing Sept. '9, 1947 2,459,517 -Gearhart Jan. 18, 1949 2,587,696 -Collier Mar. '4, 1952 

